That the video’s the perfect accompaniment to youthful Summer abandon.

As I’ve stated in the past, I’m an absolute sucker for all things nostalgia tinged, and this video strikes a strong chord. We’ve all snuck out of our houses when younger and wondered about aimlessly seeking adventure while creating mysteries out of the normal – And it’s good to be reminded of those days, and “Young & Wild” does this to a point of almost perfection. Great Video. Great Song.

Jaill have just released a video for their new song “Pointy Fingers” – and it’s a fun romp that starts in a discotheque and ends in dumpster filled with crawl balls, or as I would like the label it: The Perfect First Date. “Pointy Fingers” bounces along with surreal visuals in a carefree manner that makes you long for late nights, open windows, and warm wind.

Take any track from Atlanta based Mood Rings debut album, VPI Harmony, and it could easily be placed in a John Hughes movie. The textures are lush, synth heavy, and finely dramatic. It’s as if Diamond Rings, The xx, and a Joy Division cover band Frankensteined together a child – and I mean that as a compliment. This is summertime make-out music, and is what Dreampop sounds like in the year 2013.

Yessir Whatever, the latest LP from Madlib’s villainous alter-ego Quasimoto, is more of a mash-up of songs than a cohesive album. Songs spanning over the past 12 years are on the record, and despite the album not being created as one piece, it all fits together neatly under Madlib’s hazed out eye. The soul inspired production is as top notch and weird as anything Madlib’s ever done, as he continues to show why he has few peers in the field. Yessir Whatever may not pack the overall punch of The Unseen or The Further Adventures of Lord Quas, but it’s still a must have record – and is a perfect fit for 90 degree summer days, where the best option is air conditioning and kicking back.

I’m about to hop on a southern bound plane to North Carolina for a wedding between two good friends of mine, Zac & Katie. The festivities will take place in Winston-Salem, which is where a great Bleeding Gold Records band, The Sweets, are from. Can’t think of a better way to get ready for a killer weekend then getting lost in the lo-fi garage wave of The Sweets.

Placing Renny Wilson’s music in a neat bucket isn’t fair to him or music. (Photo – Lyle Bell)

Renny Wilson’s debut album, Sugarglider, has flown under the radar too much this year, which may be due to it being labeled as a “chillwave album”, the scarlet letter of genre pinning in 2013. Self released in 2012, and re-released by Mint Records early this year, Sugarglider certainly fits into what you’d consider “chillwave” – but honestly, why is that such a bad thing? Credit to Wilson’s Wikipedia page, which tries to shy away from this title by calling him a “lo-fi disco singer-songwriter” – which is actually pretty damn clever, but still, why is that necessary?

By definition a Sugar glider is an omnivorous possum (who knew!), which means it’ll basically eat anything. Listening to Wilson’s music you can see how he’s omnivorous with the influences that seep into the structure of his music. It’s quite brave the amount of different genres he tackles and melds together. The end result may sound like lo-fi disco, chillwave, or whatever you’re calling it – but the pallet he chooses from to create his music is extremely varied; from soul to kraut to funk to left-field indie, he makes it all work together in an interesting way.

I think it’s time to stop discrediting ENTIRE genre’s of music and start giving more credit to the acts that truly separate themselves from their peers. In this age of Twitter, Blogs (guilty), and instant gratification we want to claim something dead as soon as it becomes King, where maybe we just need to chill-out some and let the cream rise and shit fall.

Natives of El Paso Texas, The D.A. play an equable brand of what you’d call “indie-dance rock” – although that may box them into this genre a little too neatly. Their songs don’t quite have the DFA punch of lets say, The Rapture – but they also lack the sugar coated pop of a band like Passion Pit, which in turn makes their music sound much more genuine, approachable, and unique. Aside from creating songs that are packed with nostalgia, something I’m an admitted sucker for, what really makes The D.A. standout is their instrumentation, which has touches of early Modest Mouse and even mid-career Talking Heads. I’m particularly fond of their use of live horns, something none of their peers are even attempting; this coupled together with lyrics that are both simple & clever (“All my friends are feral cats”) (“And another five years of Bowie, for one more dance with you”) – make for quite the punch for the Texas based quintet.

Fort Romeo will be releasing two new tracks via Ghostly International on June 24th. “Jetée” is the A side, and its sleek house inspired production takes you on a controlled journey with some rewarding turns. The methodical build-up to the last minute or so of the song is exceptionally pleasing, Romeo lets the song peak just enough to re-grab your attention, while keeping the controlled restraint that’s made his work so unique and gratifying.